Shadows of the Past
by Lady Spritzy
Summary: 1000 years after the deaths of the major players of Sonic the Hedgehog, a young girl hedgehog named Amanaru is haunted by memories that are not her own. First of Bloodties of Mobius. Number 2 is up, and hopefully coming out of hiatus
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Don't own the Sonic chars, only my own. Enjoy the story! 

I am running down a broken corridor, angry sounds floating in through destroyed windows. A slim, blue hedgehog runs along beside me, his emerald-colored eyes set in a determined glare ahead of him. His arms trail behind him, and he looks like a bird in flight as he shoots along.

I do not know the hedgehog's name, but his face is horribly familiar. He turns to me staring at him, and he grins. I don't know why, but that smile always makes me feel like I can do anything.

"Ready for this?" the blue hedgehog asks. I feel myself nod as we run up to a large set of metal doors. The blue hedgehog tries to kick the door open, but to no avail. He looks to me, and I place my hands on the door. My hands are strangely clad in white gloves that have red tags attached, and there are golden rings around my wrists. My arms are black with red streaks along the sides.

Energy flows through my hands, and the doors blow wide open. The blue hedgehog and I walk carefully into a tall room, and before us stands a figure. It is tall and rotund with eyes that shine like the fabled Emeralds.

"This time," the blue hedgehog beside me says, "we finish this. You're going down."

"Try and stop me, hedgehogs," the figure says, getting inside the cockpit of a giant machine with many mechanical arms, almost like a mecha millipede.

"Let's do this," the hedgehog beside me says, and jumps at the machine as a blue ball.

I follow his example, practically shredding the metal under my quills. I land lightly on my feet, and notice a glint of light behind the blue hedgehog. A dangerously pointed metallic tail has sprouted from the giant mechanic monster. 

And it is aimed at the blue hedgehog.

I know he can't see it- his back is turned. My time is limited; being that I am on the opposite side of the room. As the appendage is about to strike, I rush straight towards him.

"I will not let you die," I mumble to myself as I dodge around the machine's other arms, my only focus getting to the blue hedgehog quick enough to save him. Time seems to slow down as the tail gets closer to the blue hedgehog, and I yell to him as I shove him out of the way, "Go, save the world!" I see him land roughly on the ground, and as the metallic tail strikes me, I say softly to myself, "At least I get to see Maria again."

X X X

Amanaru shot up, sweat streaking down her head spikes. The same dream, ending the same as always.

"Who is he?" Amanaru asked herself, looking at her own arm. It was white, with the same blood-red streak down the side as the black arm in the dream. Amanaru got up, pacing quickly to get her blood flowing. Her tattered dress swished in the late fall wind, and she shivered. Amanaru looked up at the sky with all of its shimmering stars, and the two moons of Mobius frozen in their nightly race with each other.

As Amanaru stared up at the endless midnight sky, sirens started up. She heard, and quickly hid behind a trash can.

The flashing lights stopped and played across the alley where Amanaru hid. The young hedgehog's eyes widened, and she backed even farther behind the trashcan. Behind her, even more creatures huddled in the shadows.

"We know you're back there, Unwanteds! Come out, and if you don't resist, we won't hurt you," an official-sounding voice called from behind the blinding lights. None of the hiding creatures believed the lie, and none stepped forward.

"No replies?" the voice said, quickly loosing its honeyed tone, "Fine, then. You're all under arrest for mucking up our streets, Unwanteds."

Silhouettes appeared in front of the lights, and figures dashed into the shadows after the Unwanteds. Creatures fled in each direction, but Amanaru remembered the two things she had been taught before Jilliam left: fight for you and only you; and don't move or draw attention to yourself. Amanaru clung to those two bits of wisdom, and she hadn't been captured yet.

As the figures began to round up the Unwanteds, one walked straight past her hiding spot. Unfortunately for the albino hedgehog, she didn't blend very well at night.

_Don't look down. Oh, sweet Maria, don't let them see me, _Amanaru prayed silently, asking the girl she only knew of in dreams to help her.

Unfortunately, Maria didn't hear the small hedgehog's prayer. The man looked down. Amanaru could see him smile evilly down at her, and she huddled to the wall.

"Well," he said, "What do we have here? An Unwanted runt? Oh, this just made my day." The man kicked Amanaru several times hard in the side, as if trying to get rid of all his anger and frustration with the world with each kick. She was foggily aware of other people coming over and joining in, beating her to the verge of consciousness.

"Is she dead?" one voice asked, and Amanaru faintly felt some one check her wrist. She practically willed her heart to beat slower, but she didn't think it worked.

After one agonizing moment, the hand came away from her wrist, and another voice said, "No, but she's pretty damn close. Let's get out of here, the cold'll finish _this_ mistake off." 

Amanaru heard receding footsteps, and realized that the man who had spoken was right. If she couldn't get somewhere warm soon, she'd be dead by morning. The young girl looked weakly around for anything that might help her stay warm so she wouldn't die. She found nothing for shelter other than the trash can she had hidden behind when the men found her, so she just lay by the trash can since she wouldn't really fit inside, and drifted in and out of consciousness for a few hours, waiting silently for death.

During one of her agonizing trips through consciousness, Amanaru heard voices and dimly realized that the dark alleyway was alive with bright lights again. Amanaru's first thought was _Oh, no. They've come back for me. I'm dead for sure._

"What's this?" a voice asked as hands picked Amanaru up. She flinched, and the hands almost dropped her.

"Put me..."Amanaru said, but couldn't finish her sentence as she sank back into unconsciousness.


	2. Chapter 2

It is dark out, and all the stars have come out to play. There is only one of the great moons in the sky, and it is full and golden.

A red creature stands in front of me. He has a pointed snout and clear, purple eyes. A white mark is across his chest, like an upside-down crescent moon. 

He puts his heavily-gloved hands on my shoulders, looks me straight in the eye and says, "I just want you to know… I've always had a great respect for you. Ever since what you did at the ARK. I don't know what possessed you to help us, but whatever it was, I am grateful for it. Just as I am grateful for all of the help you've given since then. If I die in this fight to come, I want you to know that."

X X X

Amanaru's eyes flickered open, and above her hovered a similar red creature, except the one in her dream was a male. The young girl's eyes shot open, and as she tried to sit up, the creature pushed her gently down.

Fear and adrenaline shot through the hedgehog as she huddled as far away from the woman as possible. 

"Who are you?" Amanaru demanded, still staying far from the woman.

"I'm Kulka. And trust me, little one, I won't hurt you. So come here before you hurt yourself." The woman got up and started to circle around the bed slowly, as if approaching a wild animal. 

Amanaru looked quickly around, but saw nothing to hide behind, so she jumped off the bed and ran to the opposite side of the room. Kulka realized that Amanaru was not going to come to her, and simply stopped approaching. 

"Can you at least tell me your name? Surely you have one," Kulka said, sitting down in the chair at the foot of the bed.

"Amanaru," the girl hedgehog said curtly as she edged closer toward the door that was on her side of the room.

"That door leads to a closet. The one you want is that way," Kulka said, pointing to a door across from where the bed was. The young hedgehog froze, amazed that the woman knew what she was doing.

After a few minutes of Amanaru standing still, Kulka gently said, "I'm not going to try and stop you, but this room is right by the kitchens. Would you like something warm to eat? I'm sure you haven't had a decent meal in a while." The woman made no move to get up, so Amanaru figured that if she needed to, she could run for it. She wasn't the fastest thing alive, but she was fairly speedy.

Amanaru walked toward Kulka, and as the woman rose, Amanaru froze. Kulka sat quickly back down, and Amanaru came closer, but stayed where she was sure she was out of reach. Then Kulka rose, and headed towards the exit, and Amanaru followed at a distance.

Outside the closed room was an open hallway, with the ceiling held up by massive columns. After a short walk down the hall, they came to a large building that had a pointed top with smoke pouring out of the tip. 

Kulka strode up to the door and opened it, standing aside to let Amanaru in first. The hedgehog didn't go, despite the smells wafting out of the giant kitchen. Kulka merely shrugged and headed inside, with Amanaru after her at a safe distance. The young hedgehog made sure the door was open enough for her to make a quick dash if she needed to.

Inside the kitchen were many monstrous stoves, rows of dishes, other culinary tools, and more creatures like Kulka dashing about with food, ingredients, and other items for cooking. 

Kulka stopped a girl carrying a platter of different breads and asked, "Where's Kulina? I wish to speak to her real quick." The girl nodded her head in the direction of a large, pink woman that was bustling around the kitchen and giving orders. "Thank you," Kulka said, and she walked over to the woman. Kulka had a quiet conversation with the woman named Kulina as Amanaru just stood there, unsure what to do. After a minute or so, Kulka waved the young hedgehog over, and Amanaru came only as close as she dared.

"Skittery little thing, aren't you?" Kulina asked with a little laugh. "Figures. Whoever abandoned you must've done it when you were a baby. How old are you, anyway, Amanaru?"

"I… don't know," Amanaru said, "I think I'm four eclipses old."

"Ah," Kulina said, "Well, four eclipses isn't any age for someone to be abandoned and out on the streets, now is it? You know what, Amanaru? I have something you might like. It's a secret recipe that goes way back, and, according to legend," Kulina bent down and cupped her snout slightly, "the great ancestor Knuckles was said to have enjoyed it himself." At the sound of the name Knuckles, realization shot through Amanaru- that was the name of the red creature in her dream. Already Amanaru felt safer around these creatures since they came from someone who was grateful and friendly to her. 

Kulina took a small jar from atop a tall cabinet and pulled a small thing that looked like it was a piece of clear rock. It had a small string coming out of it that Kulina held it by. The woman held it out to Amanaru, who came fearlessly close, accepted it, then placed it into her mouth. The flavor was something she had rarely tasted before, but she loved it so much that whenever she had come across it in her scrounging, she would keep it as long as possible and guard it with her life.

"What do you think?" Kulina asked expectantly. Amanaru then realized how many people were around her, and she growled, her instinct to protect the precious treat coming out in full force. Kulina chuckled, and said, "I'll take that as an 'I like it.' That's good. I'm sure you didn't get many sweets when you were out on the streets, huh? Well, if you behave well, you can _earn_ some more. But you have to work for it."

Amanaru's mind spun at the thought of getting more. "What do I have to do?" she asked quickly.

The woman laughed again, and said, "Listen to what Lady Kulka wants you to do, and if she says you've been good, I'll give you more. And you'll _not _only eat sweets. It's almost dinner time, so you'll have a proper meal then."

"Come on, Amanaru," Kulka said, "We should go get you out of that tattered thing. I've got more dresses that should fit you." Kulka held out her hand, and Amanaru flinched. Anytime an Unwanted ever put out their hand was when they wanted to strike another. But when it was clear Kulka wasn't going to hit her, Amanaru sheepishly put her hand into the woman's hand, and they exited the kitchen together.

"What are you?" Amanaru asked when they were back in the open hall. Kulka laughed at the question, and Amanaru bowed her head in shame, afraid she had asked something bad. 

Kulka realized this quickly and answered, "I'm sorry. That wasn't very nice of me to laugh. You must not have met any echidnas before. No, probably not."

Amanaru's head perked when she realized she _had _met an echidna before. "But I have met one before, I just didn't know he was an echidna."

"Oh really? Do you remember his name?" Kulka asked kindly.

"Yeah, his name was Knuckles. I met him in my dream, and he said that he was grateful for my help," Amanaru said excitedly.

"Whoa, slow down there, Amanaru. How do you know his name was Knuckles? Did he tell you?"

Amanaru stopped to think for a second, then said halfheartedly, "No, he never told me his name," Amanaru looked into Kulka's eyes, "but I know it was him, I just do."

"Amanaru, I believe you, but I want you to tell me more when we get to your room, okay?" Kulka said, ushering the young hedgehog to the room where she first awoke.

"Okay," Amanaru said, following the echidna woman. When they were both inside, Kulka sat down in the chair at the foot of the bed again, and motioned for Amanaru to sit down. The girl did, then launched quickly into speech.

"It was at night, and he was standing in front of me. He told me he had lots of respect for me, ever since the ARK. He didn't know why I helped, but he was grateful for everything I've done since, and that he wanted me to know that if he died in some upcoming fight."

"Is that all?" Kulka asked. Amanaru nodded. "What did he look like?"

"A lot like you, except he didn't have anything on but some weird gloves with spikes on them. And his shoes looked weird, with flat, metal disks on top. Oh, and he had this weird mark on his chest, kinda like a…uh…" Amanaru struggle for words, "an upside-down crescent moon. You know," she drew the shape in the air, "like that."

After a few minutes of silence, Kulka said, "Well, then. Let's get you dressed in something else, then I want to show you something." The echidna went to the closet and pulled out a dress similar to her own, decorated in brown and green. She brought it over to Amanaru, who after one look at it shook her head vigorously.

"No way. I don't want to wear any more dresses. They get very cold in the winter," she said.

"Well," Kulka said, "I'll see what I can do for you soon, but I can't do anything right now. So, wear it for now, and I'll make sure you get more of those rock treats from Kulina. Deal?"

Amanaru took the dress from Kulka and took her own tattered thing off and replaced it with the echidna dress. When she had been doing that, Kulka had pulled out a small pair of sandals and handed them to the girl hedgehog.

Amanaru looked at them curiously, and slipped them on her feet. They were a little big, but they fit well enough. She jumped off the bed and waited for Kulka.

The echidna woman rose and went to the door, but Amanaru sped there and shoved the door open quickly so that she could hold the door open for Kulka.

"Ow!" a voice called from the other side of the door, and Amanaru looked around to see an echidna boy lying sprawled on the ground, rubbing his head. Kulka rushed past her and picked the boy up.

"Oh, Zulkin. Are you okay? Oh, I'm sure it was an accident. Amanaru, apologize."

"What's 'apologize' mean?" Amanaru asked sheepishly.

"It means say sorry!" snapped Zulkin from Kulka's arms.

"Oh. I'm… sorry," Amanaru said quietly.

"You'd better be," Zulkin said.

"Zulkin! Show some manners to our guest. She has had a lot to deal with already, she doesn't need any grief from you," Kulka said, setting Zulkin down on his feet.

"Hmph. I didn't do anything wrong, I just wanted to make sure she was really sorry," Zulkin mumbled.

"What was that?" Kulka asked sternly.

"Nothing," the little echidna replied quickly.

"Okay, then. Amanaru, let's go see something amazing." 

Zulkin's head perked.

"Can I go too?" he asked.

Kulka looked at him coolly. "Are you going to be kind to Amanaru?" she asked. Zulkin nodded. "Fine, you can come."

"Yay!" Zulkin shrieked with joy at the thought of inclusion.

Kulka led both of the youngsters through the open hallways to a large, pillar-walled room. The room was long and well lit because of the light outside, but the other end was brighter still.

"Oh," Zulkin said, "This isn't that amazing. It's just the Shrine. I'm gone." The young echidna walked away.

"The Shrine?" Amanaru asked, following Kulka to the brighter end of the room. The echidna woman didn't reply, as she had no need to tell about what she could just as easily show.

There was a huge mosaic of the echidna from Amanaru's dream on the wall. The detail was great, all the way down to his kind, purple eyes, which seemed to look out of the mosaic. On either side of the mosaic was a flame, and in front was a gem as big as Amanaru herself. 

She recognized it immediately. "The Master Emerald."

"Why, yes. How did you know, Amanaru?"

"I don't know," the young hedgehog admitted, "But, I think I know something about it."

"And what's that?"

"Uh, I think it goes, the servers are… uh, the seven Chaos. And… Chaos… is power. Power that… is… enriched by… the heart. The Controller serves… to… unify… the Chaos."

"How did you know that? Most echidnas don't even know that rhyme!" Kulka was genuinely impressed. Not even her son Zulkin had learned the Guardian's Prayer yet, and he was up next for the job.

"I don't really know. I know I've heard it some where before, but it was long ago. _Very_ long ago."

"Oh, well. Then, is that the echidna from your dream?" Kulka said, pointing to the mosaic.

"Yeah, that's him. Except he looks happy here, not like in my dream."

"What was he like in your dream?"

"He seemed… sad," Amanaru said.

"Lady Kulka," a voice said officiously from behind. A male echidna stood at attention.

"Yes, Kanin?" Kulka asked.

"It's dinner time, ma'am."

"Okay, you can go eat. We'll be along shortly."

"Yes, Lady Kulka," Kanin said, walking away.

"Do you know why he was sad, Amanaru?" Kulka asked when Kanin had left.

"No," Amanaru said, "He just was."

"Okay then. Well, why don't we go get some food?" Kulka held out her hand again, and Amanaru took it with less hesitation than before. They walked back to the main complex and through several hallways until they came to an enormous building with several doors. Kulka pushed open one of the doors and walked in with Amanaru right behind her. Inside were seven main tables, and one long table at the head. 

The room was packed with echidnas. The general population of them were red like Kulka was, but there were multiple other colors as well. Amanaru stood closer to Kulka because she felt so out of place being a hedgehog. 

Kulka realized this and asked, "Do you want to sit with me at the High Table, or do you want to sit at one of the other tables?"

"With you," Amanaru said quickly, not wanting to be separated from the one echidna she knew. Kulka chuckled.

"All right, then. You can sit right by me. How does that sound?" Amanaru nodded her head. "Good."

The two made their way up to the large table, where Kulka sat in one of the two larger chairs in the middle, and Amanaru took her place in the smaller chair beside the echidna woman. 

After a few minutes of looking around at her new surroundings, a voice said loudly, "Hey, you're in my spot, spinepig." Amanaru turned to see Zulkin scowling at her and pointing at the seat she sat in.

She bowed her head and quietly apologized, "I'm sorry, Zulkin. It's just Kulka told me to sit here, and I thought-"

"So? That's _my_ spot, and you can't have it!" Zulkin started to pull Amanaru out of the chair when an older male echidna walked up behind him.

"Zulkin, what are you doing? If your mother told her to sit there, then she can sit there! You've no right to be impolite to our guest. And what's this about a _spinepig? _Where did you learn such language, young man?" By this time of the chewing-out, Zulkin had started to cry from embarrassment, as every echidna in the room had turned to watch.

"If I cause this much trouble," Amanaru said quietly, "I'll go sit in my room." The hedgehog girl then got up, grabbed a little bit of bread on the way out, and left the room, ignoring all of the calls for her to return.


	3. Chapter 3

I am destroying strange monsters that look both mechanical and organic at the same time. The sun is beating mercilessly down on me, as well as the hedgehogs beside me.

One of them is a pink female, with a red dress and a giant hammer that she is using to obliterate the creatures. On my other side is a silvery male whose sharp, golden eyes seem to pierce his opponents as he picks them up and tosses them without even touching them. 

I myself am calling barbs of light into my service and flinging them into my enemies. Around me, I can see a small army of people starting to become overrun by the horde of monsters. 

Although all hope seems lost, I hear a familiar voice call out. I see the blue hedgehog running towards the large fortress, destroying all the monsters in his path. I turn to the silver hedgehog beside me and say gently, "I'm going after the Doctor. Do you want to come?"

"No, I'm needed more out here. But I'll cover you." he says, giving me a small push in the direction of the blue hedgehog. "Get going!"

X X X 

Amanaru awoke, not knowing where she was for a minute, but after her eyes adjusted to the dark, she realized she was in the kitchens in the echidna complex, lying on a sack of flour. Around her, dark shapes loomed, but Amanaru knew that they weren't going to hurt her. 

Amanaru's mind thought quickly back to the dream she had just woken from and said gently to herself, "His name was Silver, wasn't it? Silver the Time Traveler?" She nodded lightly to herself, then stopped, wondering how she knew that information.

"But I can't remember the pink one's name. Or the blue. Maybe I'll figure it out later." Amanaru got up, since she was no longer tired, took off her sandals so she wouldn't be heard, and stole quietly out of the kitchens.

Amanaru looked up to see the two moons of Mobius starting to sink low to the ground, signaling that morning was fast approaching. The girl hedgehog had no idea where she was going, but she merely wandered in a single direction, like metal pulled to a magnet, or vice versa.

After a while Amanaru realized she was walking in the direction of the Shrine where the Master Emerald was. She didn't mind, but she started to feel strange. The girl couldn't quite place the feeling, but she knew she didn't like it. 

As Amanaru stepped into the Shrine, she noticed quickly that the torches at the end were not lit, and that only a green glow lit the room. As the girl walked closer, a shadow crossed the glow of the Master Emerald. 

Amanaru froze, trying to make sure the shadow had not been her mind. The girl looked more intently into the darkness, her eyes starting to adjust, and realized that there were several figures in the dark. The hedgehog girl padded slowly forward, trying to keep her eyes fixed on the figures.

"What do we have here? Another whelp?" Amanaru whipped around to faintly see several black-and-red hedgehogs advancing on her. She backed up, bumping into the arms of one of them that stood behind her. He grabbed her roughly and held her arms behind her.

Amanaru kicked and squirmed, trying to break free, but the older hedgehog wouldn't let go.

"You got some nerve coming here, echidna," one of the hedgehogs said.

"I'm no echidna, stupid. Get your eyes checked," Amanaru growled defiantly. The hedgehog that had spoken came forward swiftly and slapped her hard behind one of her red-tipped ears. The girl hedgehog's face caught the light better, and she felt her head yanked roughly upward.

The hedgehog who had slapped Amanaru glared right into her eyes and asked, "Why do you have the marks of our ancestor? Speak, whelp."

Amanaru glared right back at him with courage that was not her own, "That's hard to say, asshole. I don't know your Maria-damned ancestor." She then spat in his face.

"Sir Nightflare, we found the echidna whelp," another black-and-red hedgehog said, shoving a bound Zulkin forward. The echidna looked bleary-eyed and tired, as well as extremely scared. As much as Amanaru wasn't inclined to be nice to him for how mean he had treated her since she had arrived, she felt sorry for him, and thought he deserved better than the situation he was in.

"Lemme go! Lemme go!" the young echidna yelled loudly. The hedgehog that had shoved him forward smacked him so loudly that Amanaru could easily hear it, even though Zulkin was two or three yards away.

"Don't you lay another hand on Knuckles," Amanaru growled, her ruby eyes shining angrily in the soft, green light given off by the Master Emerald.

"Did you hear that?" the lead hedgehog, Nightflare, said to his friends, "This stupid little girl wears the markings of Shadow, and calls her echidna friend Knuckles? Ha!" He stuck his face in Amanaru's again, "Why do you think your friend is the echidna ancestor, huh?" He lifted the one, red-tipped head spike that hung over Amanaru's right eye so he could clearly see both of her eyes, "And why do you dye your spikes red, like the great ancestor Shadow? And why do you speak the name of the noble Lady Maria? Why?" he spat.

"I speak what I know, and if you cannot see him, then you are blind," Amanaru started softly, so that only Nightflare could hear her, "As for dye, I was picked off the streets not that long ago. I have no money for dye, nor do I know my origins, so why would I dye myself? And Lady Maria? Why should I tell you as to how I know of her? My guardian angel doesn't wish to associate with you clan-proud disappointments." She raised her voice so that all the people in the Shrine could hear her, "You damned bastards have insulted my name, and now I return to smite you all and send you back to hell. You don't deserve my power, nor do you deserve my title, Shadow the Ultimate!"

"You are not Shadow, _whelp_," Nightflare said, slapping Amanaru hard.

She whipped her head quickly up. "Huge mistake, _asshole_," she growled, starting to curl into a ball. Her arms slipped out of the hands holding them, and as a ball she rammed straight into Nightflare. She heard a satisfying _whoosh_ above her as she felt the air being driven from her opponent's lungs. She came out of her ball and skidded to a quick halt, then launched herself at Zulkin's main captor. The hedgehog woman was knocked far back and slid for a few feet on her back. 

Amanaru came out of her ball form again and practically ripped off Zulkin's bonds. "I think you should stay with me, so they don't catch you again," she whispered where she thought his ear was. He nodded as the black-and-red hedgehogs started to recover from the shock. Amanaru took quick stock of the situation: She and Zulkin were trapped, as more and more hedgehogs were starting to come out of the shadows to surround the youngsters; all of the intruders were older and obviously more experienced than either of them; and the Master Emerald was in threat of being stolen.

"That's it," Amanaru said gently.

"What?" Zulkin asked, completely confused.

"The Emerald. I think I can do something with it," she grabbed Zulkin's arm, "C'mon." She made a swift dash for the Master Emerald, dragging Zulkin behind her. Two of the hedgehogs stood right between the children and the Master Emerald, but that didn't stop Amanaru.

"Use your fists," Amanaru said, shoving Zulkin in front of her. The young echidna was startled, but some knowledgeable force seemed to take over and do the fighting for him, giving him extra strength and agility. 

When he had dropped the two hedgehogs, Amanaru leapt onto the Master Emerald, pulling Zulkin up and swinging him behind her. She was a little use to combat, and figured she would make a pretty good shield.

"Back off," she roared, "and I won't be forced to use the Emerald." Her threat was fairly empty: she wasn't positive she could pull off what she was thinking of doing using the Master Emerald, but an idea was starting to form in her mind as she thought of the giant door in her dream that she had blown open. Laughter rang through the Shrine as the dark hedgehogs all were starting to advance as one toward the trapped children.

"What are you gonna do?" Zulkin whispered nervously into Amanaru's ear.

"Blow them away, just like that door," Amanaru replied without turning around to face him, "When I tell you to, get down on the floor, under the Master Emerald. Can you do that?"

"Y-yeah," Zulkin said timidly.

"Okay… now!" Amanaru whispered, and as soon as she was sure he was down, she spread her arms out straight and yelled, "Chaos Blast!" 

Just like in the dream, energy flowed through her arms, as well as from her entire body, and for a moment, all of the darkened Shrine was lit as bright at day. In a split second, Amanaru realized just how much trouble they were in as the light showed at least two score of the black-and-red hedgehogs. 

_I hope this works,_ she thought quickly, realizing her energy was draining quickly, _Oh, Maria, I hope this works. Please, let it work._

_Don't worry, _a male voice rang through Amanaru's mind, _It will work: It always has in the past. _

"What do you mean?" Amanaru asked aloud as she heard the hedgehogs fleeing from the Shrine.

"What does who mean, Amanaru?" a familiar female voice asked as echidnas with torches started to flood into the Shrine.

The little hedgehog girl looked around as she hopped off the Master Emerald. Not a sign of the black hedgehogs anywhere.

Kulka came up and dropped to her knees in front of the remaining hedgehog and looked into her eyes, "What happened here?" 

Amanaru didn't get to answer as Zulkin came from his safe place under the Master Emerald, crying, "Momma! They attacked us!"

"Who attacked you?" the worried echidna mother asked, hugging her son soundly.

"Bad men," the little echidna sobbed, clinging to his mother. She had to soothe him for a few minutes before his sobs started to cease.

"What did they look like, Zulkin?" Kulka asked, pulling Zulkin from her.

"I-I'm not sure," Zulkin sniffed.

"They were Shadow-clan hedgehogs," Amanaru said quietly, her head bowed.

"How do you know that?" Kulka asked, astonished.

"Because they asked me why I had markings like Shadow. And they called him their ancestor." Amanaru looked up. "Is it bad that I look like him? I didn't mean to, I was just born with them."

"No, Amanaru, nothing is your fault. But why did they run? They obviously were here for the Master Emerald, but yet both it and you two are still here."

"She went _boom!_" Zulkin said quickly, throwing his hands into the air for emphasis.

"Boom?"

"I don't know how I knew the words, honest," Amanaru hastily said, trying to avoid trouble.

"Don't worry, everything's fine. What words are you talking about, anyway?" Kulka asked.

"Chaos Blast," Amanaru whispered quietly, hanging her head again. 

Kulka had no response, as she was in complete shock. Only one of the Chaos techniques was still in use, and only a handful of Shadow hedgehogs knew how exactly how to use it.

"Did I say something wrong?" Amanaru asked worriedly, bringing Kulka back to Mobius.

"Uh, no, Amanaru. Nothing wrong. Why don't you and Zulkin go get a snack from the kitchen then go sleep in my bed, okay? You two have been through a lot tonight."


	4. Chapter 4

Beside me stands a black hedgehog. His head spikes are strange- it's like gravity is pushing them instead of pulling them. He has the same red markings as myself, only he doesn't have a spike in front of his eyes, and his ears are not tipped with red. I look at his arms and know instantly that his gloves are the same ones I wear when I break down the door for the blue hedgehog. His shoes are strange, with white, black, and red markings. 

After taking in every aspect of how he looks, I simply ask, "Who are you?" Although, I think I already know the answer. He seems to realize this too, and simply smiles at me. It is a confident smile, but one full of the pain of past suffering. I look down and say, "I'm sorry. It was a stupid question."

He walks forward and lifts my face so that I can look straight into his eyes. They are bright and aware, and shine like twin rubies. "I am your ancestor." He says, and the dream fades away.

X X X 

"C'mon, Amanaru, mom'n'dad have a present for you!" Zulkin said, pulling the hedgehog girl out of her comfortable bed. The past week had been fairly tense, as the whole of AngelIsland was on high alert for any more Shadow hedgehogs. 

Zulkin led Amanaru down the hall until they came to a place Amanaru had come to know as the Great Hall. It was where all of the food was served and everyone ate dinner and breakfast. He held the door open for her, and she stepped inside. The two of them had entered in the middle of breakfast.

When the door had opened, all of the echidnas inside the Hall had stopped eating to watch the children enter. Amanaru wasn't very happy at this, as she still was fairly shy of the echidnas there. Zulkin, however, felt the complete opposite, and strode boldly up to the head table where his parents sat.

As Amanaru reached the table, Kulka rose and walked to the young hedgehog.

"What do you think of Karonos and I, Amanaru?" she asked, kneeling down to face her.

"I think you're both really nice, but I don't wish to be too much of a burden. If you want me to leave, I will," Amanaru replied honestly. She didn't want to leave, but she would if they didn't trust her.

Kulka looked astonished. "No, Amanaru, you don't have to leave. In fact, we wanted to know if you wanted us to adopt you."

"Adopt?"

"Yes. It means we'll be your mother and father. It also mean that you and Zulkin will be brother and sister."

"So I won't have to leave?" Amanaru asked. Her mind was beginning to spin. She had only really had only one parent before, and she was killed when Amanaru was three.

"No, you get to stay here. Forever," Kulka replied.

"Forever?" Amanaru inquired, just to make sure she was hearing things right.

"Yes. Do you want us to adopt you, then?" Kulka asked.

As realization dawned on Amanaru that this was not a lie, a smile broke out on her face for the first time since Jillian had died. She leapt up and hugged Kulka tightly, and the echidna chuckled.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'," she said, holding the hedgehog close. 

After a few minutes, Kulka put Amanaru down, and the entire room rang with the cheers of every echidna there- they had heard what Amanaru had done for Zulkin and the Master Emerald.

After breakfast, Zulkin made sure no one was around when he grabbed Amanaru by the arm and dragged her into the nearby forest.

"Where are we going?" Amanaru asked as she stumbled along after the sure-footed echidna youth.

"To my special place," Zulkin replied proudly.

"Why's it special?"

"'Cuz no one else knows about it, that's why."

"Cool! Where is it?" Amanaru asked, her curiosity growing.

"Deeper in the forest, through the hidden tunnel," Zulkin replied, treading lightly through the thick forest undergrowth. When at last they came to the bottom of some cliffs, Zulkin started moving brush and bramble out of the way of a small tunnel entrance. The young creatures could easily stand in it, but Amanaru figured her new parents would have trouble fitting into it comfortably.

The girl hedgehog went first, then her new brother went, making sure the plants fit nicely back in front of the cave. After a few moments of walking along in pure darkness, a light shone in the far distance.

"Hey, I see some light," Amanaru said, pointing ahead.

"Cool. Just keep walking toward it," Zulkin said, still walking forward. When the pair emerged from the tunnel, Amanaru gasped.

Amid tall trees was a tall structure that looked like a giant cone with the top cut off. Around it was a ring of seven tall pillars. There were steps that went up the side of the structure, and the top was covered by a small, stone dome. Down the sides of the structure were stair-like pools, with water pouring down the sides and pooling at the bottom.

"It's really pretty," Amanaru said when her awe had had a chance to wear off.

"You should meet the little animals that live here," Zulkin said, walking towards the dome. Amanaru followed suit, and as they started to climb the pyramid structure, Amanaru noticed strange little creatures.

The creatures' heads were all about the size of their bodies, and all of the creatures were only about a third of the young hedgehog's height. All of the creatures were a light blue color, with yellow at the tips of their feet, their hands- or what she thought were hands- and at the tips of their slightly pear-shaped heads. Above their heads were small, yellow exclamation points, hearts, and orbs.

"What _are_ they?" Amanaru asked.

"Chao, I think. I'm not sure though, but that's what they call themselves," Zulkin answered, picking up one of the chao then they had reached the place under the dome. "And this is my special friend Makis," Zulkin said, holding the chao up so Amanaru could see it better. Instead of having yellow at the tips of its body, it had red. The chao jumped out of Zulkin's hands and onto Amanaru, who fell backward off the top of the pyramid and hit the stone pool below, her head hitting the stone hard enough to split open the back of her head.

Zulkin jumped down and splashed lightly in the water and picked up his new sister's head, uncaring of the blood on his hands.

"Makis, get some of the special berry," he said, not even trying to get the worry out of his voice. "C'mon, sis, you'll be okay," he murmured to her.

"It stings," Amanaru said weakly, starting to pass out from the loss of blood. She felt the warm bodies of the little chao around her, but they didn't help much.

"Makis is getting the special healing berries," Zulkin said, scooping some of the water from the slightly pink pool he sat in and washed some of the blood away.

"Chao chao," a small, high voice called, and Makis flew quickly to Zulkin, landing in the water and holing up several red berries that were about the size of blueberries and had a slightly hard, armor-like outside. 

Zulkin quickly pulled off the skins of all five and squished the pulpy insides in his hand with his fist, and rubbed the mashed berries across the wound. He then picked Amanaru all the way up, carried her to the place right under the dome where she had fallen from, and waited anxiously for her to revive.


	5. Chapter 5

I am standing in my new brother's 'special place'. Except, this time, there are no trees, and where there should be a tunnel, there is a long bridge over an impossibly deep crevice. Atop the seven pillars are seven gems of varying colors, and under the dome is a large gem that I think is the Master Emerald. Two figures stand beside the giant Emerald. 

Beside me I see the black hedgehog that I have been before. He notices me, and smiles slightly. He ushers me forward, and I walk toward the pyramid-like structure. I know he walks beside me, so I merely climb the steps towards the figures.

One of them is a pink echidna with a friendly face, and she looks at me with bright, blue eyes. Around her head and under her white-banded dreadlocks is a golden band set with a small, round gem that is as blue as her eyes. She wears a necklace of gold with a stone similar to her headband, a white tank top that stops above her belly, a green skirt with diamond patterns, and the sandals she wears are similar to the ones mom made me wear earlier. She has golden bands on her upper arms, and around her wrists are blue circlets of the same gem as her necklace and headband.

Beside her stands a creature that seems to be made of water. It stands tall on two legs, with its golden, gem-like eyes fixed on the black hedgehog and myself. I thinks its long arms are crossed across it chest, but it is hard to tell. It has watery growths coming out the back of its head, like my head spikes, and I can practically see the creature's brain.

We reach the top where the strange duo stands, and for a while, whether it is eternity or a second, I'm not sure, nothing happens.

The echidna girl then smiles, and says in a gentle voice, "The servers are the seven Chaos. Chaos is power- power that is enriched by the heart. The Controller serves to unify the Chaos."

"You were the one who told me that," I say as more of a question than a statement. The echidna girl nods her head, then speaks again.

"I am Tikal. This," she gestures to the watery creature, "is Chaos, God of the Chao. We wish to keep you safe." 

"Why?" I ask before I can stop myself.

"Because, we have seen the future- for both you," she pauses for a second, then looks to the black hedgehog beside me, "and your partner. Keep each other safe," she says to both of us, "and be careful. Evil forces are rising again, just as the old heroes are coming back. Make sure," Tikal says, staring the black hedgehog in the eyes, "that you keep an eye out for your friends, especially the blue one. He was a good ally before, and he will be a good ally again." She looks back to me and calmly says, "I thank you for your time, but I think it's time you reawake. Your brother is beginning to become worried, as you are hurt and not waking." As the dream begins to fade, Tikal says to me, almost as an afterthought, "You are not going to remember this dream for many years. Not until you absolutely need to. I hope to see you again under less dangerous conditions; but for now, farewell!"

AN: Whoo! I made sure this was pretty much finished before I put it up. I'm pretty sure that there are still grammar/spelling errors, so if anyone sees any, please alert me, as I'm trying to make this all nice and tity for my personal collection.


End file.
